Alabama running back Eddie Lacy (42) gets loose in the first quarter of the BCS National Championship NCAA football game, Monday, January 07, 2013, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Eddie Lacy is just a few days away from his first official workout in front of NFL Scouts, but the event shouldn't be dubbed as a make-or-break event for the potential first-round pick.

That's according to ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who said Lacy has already shown that he can play like a first-round pick. His 40-yard dash time and other measureables that emerge from Thursday's workout in Tuscaloosa won't be the end-all, be-all, Kiper Jr. said.

"It’s not just about workouts it’s about how they played,” Kiper Jr. said during a conference call last week. "All these teams have
an idea where these kids deserve to go and they’ve been tweaked a
little bit based on the numbers that come in from these workouts. Some
care more about it, some don’t. It’s about production on the field."

Lacy, of course, was one of the nation's top running backs in 2012. Splitting carries with freshman T.J. Yeldon, Lacy ran for 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns, the bulk of which coming during a dominant second half of the season.

Lacy was unable to perform at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis and Alabama's Pro Day last month because of a hamstring injury he suffered during his training. While a number of draft analysts have dropped Lacy out of the first round, Kiper Jr. has maintained his prediction of Lacy landing with the Green Bay Packers, who hold the 26th pick.

"I was talking to some personnel people yesterday and said it’s
amazing how some really good football players are getting hit hard
because of the process," Kiper Jr. said. "They didn’t run as well as they should have,
there’s a red flag here, there’s a red flag there, but you go back to
the tape. That’s what you do in this sport, that’s why you watch these
games and watch these players. You have to kind of balance it out.

"He’s got a lot of ability. I wouldn’t take a running back in the first
round, but I think he’s going to go in the late first, early second."

Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft of the first round includes four Alabama players. He slots Dee Milliner to go No. 5 to the Detroit Lions, guard Chance Warmack at No. 10 to the Tennessee Titans, right tackle D.J. Fluker at No. 12 to the Miami Dolphins and Lacy at No. 26 to the Packers. Kiper Jr.'s colleague, Todd Mcshayprojects a higher landing spot for Milliner (No. 3, Oakland Raiders) but lower slots for Warmack (11th, San Diego Chargers), Fluker (19th, New York Giants) and Lacy (second round).

SI.com's Don Banks sees similar landing spots for Milliner (No. 4, Philadelphia Eagles), Warmack (Titans) and Fluker (18th, Dallas Cowboys). He also does not have Lacy, or any running back, projected as a first-rounder.

At least one running back has been selected in the first round since 1963.

Milliner, who has been making visits with most of the top-10 selecting teams, recently had his right shoulder re-examined in Indianapolis. Milliner underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum shortly after the Combine.

Fluker's stock appears to be soaring. On a recent ESPN broadcast, Kiper Jr. said Fluker was one of the best run-blocking right tackles he's ever evaluated. Since his first mock draft in January, Kiper Jr. has bumped Fluker up 10 spots.

Kiper Jr. isn't the only one thinking this way, apparently.

Alabama RT D..J. Fluker is one of true rising players in draft; remember, most teams just began draft meetings in earnest last week @espnnfl